The Beast and the Three Princes
by khalia602
Summary: Listen to a tale I tell of a kingdom in ruins, of princes in the woods and the beast that they fell.


Once upon a time,

There was an ailing kingdom in a far away land. In this kingdom there lived a Queen with three sons, as thier father had died and thier kingdom was falling into ruin, she bid the three of them to ride out into the world and seek thier fortune.

Each son had two years between them, the eldest was a called Radiant for he accepted his good and his bad. Thnext was called Honest for he never lied to himself or others nor dared to practice deceit. The youngest was called Gallant for he never forsake those that needed help nor did he forsake those that helped him.

Each brother made a vow to stay true to themselves and to never abondon each other in times of need.

It just so happened that they found themselves a clearing in a far away woods and built a cottage and kept house. There they stayed from that fall to the next spring. But alas, in that same woods lived a beast of a fearful disposition, each breath he gave stank of a corpse, each word he spoke cruel and each look he had withering. He had teeth like a wolves, the body of a boar and the prowess of a bHe set his sight on the brothers and planned to eat them whole, but each brute had a rule given to him by Mother Holle as repercussion for his nature. And this beast could only best an enemy with his own skill. For breakfast he bested the fish at swimming, for lunch he bested the hare at running and for dinner he bested the elk at tackle. So it came that the people in the village over beset the brothers to run with thier wits about them, but the brothers stood firm for they had nowhere else to go.

But the towns people where safe for who could beat a coward at cowardice? For such they were that they thought it best the beast eat he, he and he and not them.

One warm night they had a knock on the cottage door and cried out-

"Who is it, who is it

who knocks the door so,

it sounds, it sounds

as though shall fall with another blow?"

And a voice that stank of death and sounded cruel and ever callous responded in the dark of the night-

"It is I, it is I

the beast don't you know,

who shall eat, who shall eat

you all before the sun glows!"

And the others where afraid to die and perish but the youngest ever Gallant called from the cottage "You shall eat me as you wish but you must best me in courage that is but my request" the beast laughed haughty and it sounded like racous thunder and accepted his test.

Gallant entered into the night and he and the beast went off into the forest and soon met a crow who flew up to his ear and whispered into his ear "You shall beat the beast if you challenge him to a fight of honor which takes much courage" and so he did but he fared terribly for a fight of honor also takes strength which he had little of bieng the youngest and the beast swallowed him whole and returned to the cottage to boast his next called from the cottage "You shall eat me as you wish but you must best me in truth that is but my request" the beast laughed haughty and it sounded like racous thunder and accepted his test.

Honest entered into the night and he and the beast went off into the forest and soon met a crow, but the crow couldnot be of use as that would be dishonest and without an explanation Honest watched in shock as the beast apparently for no reason began to eat the bird whole who let himself be eaten sadly as the beast had saved his life once and he payed it in full as his helpless servant. They then upon a snake who whispered all of Honest's faults in his ear and said "You shall beat the beast if you challenge him to a tally of who has done more dishonest things as an honest person" and so he did but he fared terribly for the having beast having never been an honest person before won immediately and then since they had tied asked Honest to tell him his faults but out of shame honest remained silent and the beast swallowed him whole and returned to the cottage to boast his victory.

The eldest called from the cottage "You shall eat me as you wish but you must best me in self bieng that is but my request" the beast laughed haughty and it sounded like racous thunder and accepted his test.

Radiant and the beast entered into the night and soon met a tree where they crow would have sat and so the beast grumbled. They then fell upon a snake who could for the life of him tell the beast how to use himself to be himself and beat him and without an explanation Radiant watched in shock as the beast apparently for no reason ate the snake whole who let himself be eaten sadly as he was tired of his life of deceitfulness as the he beast's helpless prisoner.

They soon fell upon the beast's last, a cat who took one look at Radiant and said in a whisper "You shall beat the beast if you challenge him to a judgement of who can count his wins on which he was himself" for the cat was quite done with helping the beast catch others as she was also done with her life as the beast's caged pet. The beast who of his nature could not count even once when he had won as himself however great he may be, fell down dead as stone and from his stomach the the eldest used tough scissors to cut out his brothers.

Gallant held the crow delighted with its loyalty,and so it is that courage and loyalty go hand in hand.

Honesty held the snake delighted with its justice,and so it is that honesty and justice go hand in hand.

Radiant held the cat delighted with its kindness,and so it is that radiance and kindness go hand in hand.

The brothers were all safe and returned to thier cottage, and the crow was no longer a servant but stayed Gallant's dear friend, and the snake was no longer a prisoner but stayed Honest's dear advisor, and the cat was no longer caged but stayed Radiant's dear companion.

And so have courage and be loyal. Have honesty and perserve justice. Have radiance and share kindness.


End file.
